Since dealing with the death of her sister and her abandonment by Sir Phillip Jones, the man who professed to love her, Lady Roselyn Ravenstock has lived as if sleepwalking. Mired in grief, she sequestered herself in her home, avoiding all callers. Then she meets Mrs. Helen Beaumont, and Rose starts to come to life . . . until Helen is murdered. But this time, Rose isn't going back to sleep. Vowing to avenge her friend, Rose dons a costume and goes out into the night looking for a killer.

Sir Phillip, the Regent's favored spy, returns from war determined to win back the woman he was forced to leave three years ago. But when he witnesses Rose covered in blood, racing from a brutal scene while gripping the murder weapon, he goes on a desperate mission to unravel what he hopes is a case of mistaken identity.

The investigation leads Rose into a world of enchantment, where people can re-shape their features, fires are begun with a snap of fingers and objects move of their own accord. But the real magic is the blazing attraction that is re-awakened between her and Phillip.

Will Rose ever get her happily-ever-after? Possibly. But first, she'll have to convince Phillip of her innocence-before the killer strikes again. . . .

This historical mystery/romance entertained and delighted me. The idea of shape shifters who shift into other humans rather than animals was a fun change to the usual shifter books I have read. After losing her sister and uncle to an accident due in part by their guilty flight from London and an intelligence officer hot on their trail, Rose shuts everyone out of her life, betrayed by the intelligence officer she believes only paid her court in order to extract information from her. But now she has been implicated in the murder of her dear friend and must rely on this inspector to solve the case without giving him her heart.

I loved Rose and her ability to recognize the disaster her life had taken by shutting the world and everyone out of her life. I had no idea she was going to possess the amazing gift of shifting or that this murder mystery would have a dash of the mystical or supernatural in it. In most scenarios, adding this type of world might not mesh well, but the shifting is written in such a way that as a reader I felt it perfectly within the realm of not only possible but logical. The supporting characters are easy to love and rally behind simply because that is what they do for Rose as she searches for the clues to her friend's murderer.

I think Daniel Trenton is a fascinating character. There is plenty of backstory I would love to learn more about, and even though I understood right from the beginning that he was in love with Rose, but not meant for her, I almost wished that interesting dynamic might have been explored further. It would have added more delicious conflict to the whole situation, though this wasn't meant to be a love triangle. I hope the author tells his story in a future book.

Sir Phillip was everything you could hope for in a hero from the era. I loved his humor, his roguish streak and his devotion to Rose, even when he suspects her of murder. The connection they hold is believable and the setups and payoffs between the two really brought that romantic connection home. I truly enjoyed this murder mystery.

Fans of romance, historical fiction and murder mysteries will have their most favorite genres covered in this one wonderfully written novel. A fabulous first installment in The Rue Alliance Series. I am definitely reading the next book in the series.

Once upon a time, Shereen Vedam read fantasy and romance novels to entertain herself. Now she writes heartwarming tales braided with threads of magic and love and mystery elements woven in for good measure. She’s a fan of resourceful women, intriguing men, and happily-ever-after endings. If her stories whisk you away to a different realm for a few hours, then Shereen will have achieved one of her life goals.